Blooming Autonomy: Reflections on the Use of Bloom’s Taxonomy in a TESOL Graduate Course

Abstract

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a highly influential framework for classifying cognitive processes and developing course objectives. It has been used by curriculum planners and teachers of subject-matter courses such as history and mathematics to ensure that courses address a variety of cognitive abilities. With the growing emphasis on subject-matter instruction in English language education, as evidenced in approaches such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and English-Medium Instruction (EMI), Bloom’s Taxonomy has also become increasingly relevant to language teachers. In this paper, participants in a TESOL graduate course for in-service teachers share their experiences using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a reflective tool for examining educational practices in their contexts. Summaries of reflective diaries are presented and analyzed by course participants for themes among them. Key themes are 1) increased awareness of the over/under emphasis of some cognitive processes in courses, 2) the challenges of incorporating higher-order thinking skills into classes, and 3) the importance of scaffolding higher-order thinking skills. Each of the Taxonomy’s cognitive processes and subprocesses are illustrated in the paper using pedagogical materials developed for a Japanese junior high school EFL textbook reading passage. The authors conclude that Bloom’s Taxonomy can be a valuable resource not just for raising awareness of the extent to which higher or lower-order thinking skills are addressed in courses but for empowering teachers to make informed choices about their course content, thus contributing to greater teacher autonomy.